I Promise to Keep My Promise
by OathKeeper22
Summary: After a 16-year-old Arthur Kirkland leaves his home country of England with his family, he attempts to pursue a new life in the U.S.A. But what, or rather, who, will ultimately change his life completely? And will it really be for the better?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One-**

Arthur Kirkland loved England. He had loved it his entire life, ever since he was old enough to truly appreciate the great country. The Thames River, the temperate weather, the kind people, and, most of all, the beautiful English countryside he grew up in. His family's quaint brick home sat near a small town in the north-eastern part of the country, within driving distance of the ocean. In his younger years, he enjoyed the trips he and his parents would take to the shore for Sunday picnics overlooking the water. 'Nothing like a cup of tea and sea, right, Arthur?' his father would always say, resulting in a small giggle in response from the toddler.

Arthur truly cherished those memories, and wished he could go back to them, but recently, it became impossible. In his sixteenth year of life, his world completely changed, and due to his father's job, the Kirkland family had to move to America. Arthur had hoped it would be a good change, but so far fate was determined to prove him wrong. Their family hadn't even been able to move to somewhere classy, like New York or Los Angeles, but rather a small suburb in the confines of southern Minnesota.

The city of Eagan didn't seem like such a bad idea when Arthur's mother had been explaining it to him on the airplane. She described it as being only a bit bigger than their previous town, but with a few minor differences.

"For example, it is close enough to a major city that you can easily take a bus," She said, "but unfortunately, there is no ocean within a thousand miles… but I'm sure you will be able to make due."

But sadly, no matter how hard Arthur tried, he could _not _make due. He knew it from the moment they stepped outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport, that Minnesota was just too different for him. There was no scent of salt water in the air, just grass and the humidity of the mid-summer weather. What's worse, he found he really didn't like the city either. He quickly grew to yearn for the quiet of the countryside, and to run away from the many cars and police sirens. The only slight hint of peace that he could find was in the fact that there wasn't much worry for noise in the suburbs.

He was also beginning to think that his mother had lied about the size of their new town, too. So far, he hadn't befriended anyone, not even his neighbors, of which seemed to practically vanish into thin air. So, rather than complying with his parents' demands to go outside and finding new friends, Arthur instead kept to the confines of his room for the three weeks until school began, passing time playing computer chess, and re-reading the _Harry Potter _series for the third time.

"You aren't going to get a cute American girlfriend locking yourself up there like that!" His dad had said at dinner. Arthur merely chuckled half-heartedly at the comment, but tried to pay it no attention. He had never gotten a girlfriend in his short lifetime, and it showed. He was socially awkward when it came to women, and had no clue how to treat them. He still even became flustered when watching romantic scenes in movies, despite the fact that most teenagers were supposed to be beyond that already. What's more, his father continuously would mention things about getting a girlfriend to him, silently urging him to take the leap. But Arthur simply couldn't, and he had no clue why, although he imagined cooping himself up in his bedroom could perhaps be a part of it.

But finally, after many days of lounging about his home as if it were a cage, the day had come. Arthur had laid out all of his clothes and school supplies the previous night to ensure being on time for school, and had even charged his brand-new cell phone his parents insisted on getting him for his birthday.

But unfortunately for the young Brit, he had forgotten the most important detail.

"Arthur… Arthur! ARTHUR!" Arthur Kirkland swore he heard somebody calling his name… but whom? All he could remember was that he was practically in his own perfect heaven, swimming butt-naked with the Faeries and the Unicorns in an ocean of tea. "ARTHUR YOU FAT LARD GET UP AND EAT YOUR FOOD!" He was quickly pulled from his slumber and blinked his eyes widely to find himself staring into a pair similar to his own.

"Peter…" Arthur mumbled, "what is it you…" He looked over to the clock, back to his little brother, and shot up from his bed in realization of his grave situation. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER YOU LITTLE TW—

"Mum told me to wake you up at 7 though! She said if you had time to sleep in a half-hour extra, you should be able to get ready within a half hour!"

"Peter, I don't _have _a half-hour! My arse needs to be at my desk at 7:25! I have 20 minutes at most! FUUUUUUUUUUU-!" The green-eyed boy rushed to get ready, thankful for having laid out his clothing earlier the night before. He haphazardly pulled on his favorite Beatles T-shirt, a forest-green hoodie, and plain denim jeans. He rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb through his wheat-blonde hair, and clamored down the stairs to quickly grab his school bag. Just as Arthur was about to burst outside to head towards the bus stop, though, he was pulled back into the house by his mother.

"Darling, you've already missed the bus! Here, Dad will drive you." She hurriedly handed a bag lunch to her son, and pointed him in the direction of the Garage. "Have a good day at school, Artie! Meet some friends!" She hollered in encouragement as he and her husband scurried to the family's brand-new 2000 Volkswagen.

"I can't make any promises!" Replied Arthur jokingly as he hopped into the vehicle, and sped away to his newest challenge.

Arthur's upper school back in England had been one of his favorite places (only second to the beach) while he was living there. The then 15-year-old Brit had been quite popular amongst his friends there, and gotten A's in almost all of his papers, excluding of course mathematics and science, which he completely did _not _understand, but that was beside the point. His school had been quite the convenience for him, actually, as it was an all-boys Anglican school not three miles from his home. His father had been against the idea at first, saying that upper school was when the girls finally started to stop hating boys, but Arthur's mother insisted, and in the end was able to convince her husband to allow it.

Arthur's two short years at that school had truly been enlightening and enjoyable, but unfortunately for the young Englishman, as he stared at his new high school, he realized that he might not receive the same treatment in America.

_I wonder if it's possible to run all the way back to England…_ he wondered to himself, but was driven from his thoughts when he almost got trampled over a group of students rushing to be on-time to class.

"Bloody teenagers!"Arthur cursed to himself, not caring if he sounded like an old man. But rather than getting angry, he knew he should be following suit, as there were only 5 minutes until the first day of the end of his life began.

Arthur decided he didn't have time to stop by his locker, and was thankful for his wise decision, because the school was _fucking huge. _He barely made it to his classroom in time before the final bell rang. The building that the school was in had only been built ten years ago, so why did they have to make it so fucking confusing? At first, the layout seemed simple, with numbers starting with a '0' on the ground floor, 1's on the first floor, and 2's on the second floor. But then that's where it got confusing. Some of the numbers appeared to be… missing? Arthur's first class was in room 235, so it couldn't be that difficult to find, but after he climbed the stairs to the top floor, the blonde found himself surrounded by rooms in the 280's. He continued on to look for 270's to know that he was going the right way, but it was futile. There were none. He continued his search, but only found himself at a dead-end, and proceeded to double back down the hall, and took a left past the main stairwell. But this time, he found himself in the vicinity of rooms marked 254 and 252. _At least I'm heading in the right direction. _He tried to be positive, but when he heard the warning bell, Arthur grew anxious. Suddenly, though, he spotted a boy rounding the corner, clearly not worried about being late to his first class.

"Umm, excuse me!" Arthur jogged up to the blonde student. "But do you know where room 235 is?" The boy looked surprised for a moment, his deep-blue eyes widening a bit behind poorly cleaned glasses, but pointed directly down the long hallway.

"Those are all the 230 rooms down there, you'll find it." The boy answered happily, grinning widely. "I'll give ya a hint: it's _not _on the side with the windows." Arthur thanked the boy, and proceeded to go into a full-sprint down the hallway, not caring that other students could see him through the open classrooms, and finally stepped foot into his World History classroom just as the bell starting the school day rang.

"Well, aren't we lucky?" He heard a man's voice announce enthusiastically at the back of the room by the whiteboard. "I'm happy _someone _tries to be punctual on the dreaded first day!" Arthur didn't quite understand what he meant, until he saw other students stumble into the classroom right after him, sullen in defeat.

"Mr. Antiqua, are you really going to count us tardy on the first day?" One girl whined. The middle-aged teacher smiled.

"Fortunately for you, no." Arthur could hear a collective sigh of relief throughout the class. "But for the rest of the year, I will, trust me. I'm trusting all of you who are walking in past the bell will take today as a lesson to not be tardy again?" Several students nodded yes, even though they were probably lying, but it assured Mr. Antiqua nonetheless. "Alright, so let's get everyone situated, okay?" He began to look through his desk for a seating arrangement, but appeared to have been unsuccessful. "Hmm… I guess I forgot to make one!" Several of the kids laughed, but Arthur could only mentally facepalm himself. _Did this guy seriously get a job as a teacher? _"Well, no matter!" Mr. A bounded back to the center of the room with a piece of paper and a sharpie marker. "Everybody, Quick! Findaseatthatyouwantbecauseit'safreeforall!" It took a moment for Arthur to compute what he had said, but when he saw students bounding around the room for certain desks, he too followed suit, and quickly picked the spot closest to him, next to a familiar-looking blonde… _wait, WHAT? This can't be the same kid I saw back there! He was sitting here the second I got into the classroom! _

"Wait, weren't you just down at the end of the hallway a moment ago?" Arthur asked to his neighbor. The boy turned to him, and Arthur could indeed see the resemblance.

"Uhh… what? I d-don't understand…" He answered quietly. Arthur could've smacked himself. It really wasn't the same guy. He was far too quiet and shy-looking.

"I-I'm sorry." Said Arthur, embarrassed. "I mistook you for someone else." The boy gave a tiny smile.

"No, it's fine… I usually don't even get noticed, so it's fine by me." He answered timidly. After a moment, he spoke up again. "Hey… are you from the U.K.?"

"Heh, indeed I am. You could tell?"

"You have a very thick accent… it's hard not to." Arthur wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Okay you goblins!" Said Mr. Antiqua in the front of the room, bringing the class's attention to him once more. "I'm Mr. Antiqua, your American History teacher for the rest of the trimester. You can call me Mr. A, Mr. Antiqua, or even Roma, my first name, if you wish. Names that are _not _acceptable include: A-dog, Ancient Rome, Roma-mia, or any other crap you will attempt to come up with in the future. Alright, now I'm gonna call attendance, and then I'll pass this blank seating arrangement around for everyone to write their names on. Here we go… oh god, you kids really need to get normal names..."

As the hour went on, Arthur felt better about his new school. His quiet neighbor's name was Matthew Williams, and he had moved here from Canada five years ago to be closer to family, so he too knew what it was like to be the new kid. Arthur had also befriended two other boys: Tino, who had been born in Finland (Arthur couldn't even begin to pronounce his last name), and Heracles Karpusi, a boy who really liked cats, whose parents were both Greek immigrants. Once class ended, as they were packing up their things, Matthew asked Arthur what lunch he had. Arthur checked his schedule.

"It says… B-Lunch." The quiet boy's face lit up.

"That's great! Heracles, Tino, and I both have that lunch too, and so do some of our other friends that you need to meet." The Brit couldn't help but become excited for lunchtime to come around.

Thankfully, the next few class periods, including homeroom, passed fairly quickly, as the first day was shortened for upperclassmen so freshmen could become accustomed to the new school. _If only they had that for people like me. _Arthur thought to himself. But no matter, he had new friends who could give him the ups and downs of Eagan High School.

The moment Arthur stepped into the cafeteria he became a tad bit overwhelmed. _I could fit my house in here… twice! _Much to his luck, though, a familiar hand waved him over to a table near the windows on the far side of the massive room, and he took his spot between Matthew and Tino, with Heracles situated to Matthew's right. Next to him was a meek-looking Asian boy reading a book with a girl resembling him resting her head on his shoulder.

"Let me introduce you to everybody." Matthew said. "This is Kiku Honda," He gestured over to the Asian boy. "And his little sister Meimei." The girl waved shyly to Arthur. "This is Elizaveta Herdervary and her boyfriend Roderich Edelstein." Arthur turned his gaze to a pretty girl with long, flowing, light-brown hair, who was attempting to feed a spoonful of applesauce to a dark-haired boy with deep purple eyes.

"Hi there, Arthur! Nice to meet you!" Said Elizaveta cheerfully as she continued attempting to spoon-feed her boyfriend.

"And this here is Berwald." Said Tino as he pointed to a tall, menacing-looking blonde guy who was hovering over him. Matthew leaned over to whisper into Arthur's ear.

"He and Tino are husband and wife." He said comically. Arthur snickered through his turkey sandwich.

Suddenly, though, a huge burst of laughter drew their attentions to a completely different lunch table. It was situated over by one of the humungous pillars that were placed sporadically throughout the commons.

"Oh God it's the Trio again…" Said Elizaveta despairingly.

"The Trio?" Inquired Arthur.

"Yeah, they always hang out with each other and keep to themselves, but even despite that, everybody knows about them, since they're so damn noisy." She explained. "They always try to be in the same classes, and annoy the teachers to no end. The tan one with the dark hair is Antonio," Arthur looked over and spotted him talking to a boy with golden eyes and an annoyed expression. "The Albino is Gilbert, he's the one you heard laughing. Thinks he's so awesome…" He could see the pale boy sitting next to Antonio, with his red eyes continuously drifting over to their table. "And the blondie with the stubble is Francis, a pervert, but I guess he's likeable." Matthew looked over to Elizaveta, shocked.

"Likeable? H-he has hit on me so many times I've lost count! I can't even walk to class without worrying he'll come up behind me and smack my butt!" She giggled relentlessly.

"That's the likeable part about him, silly Matt! His humor makes up for his perverseness." Matthew slunk back in his chair in defeat. Arthur chuckled.

"So, who are the other people at their table?" He asked.

"Oh, the two ones with the curls are the Vargas brothers!" Elizaveta said happily. "The stupid-looking one, Feliciano, is such a sweety! His brother, Lovino, though… eh…" She trailed off.

"He doesn't really get along with anyone," Chimed in Heracles. "Anyone, except for Antonio."

"Ahh, I see. But why not?" Asked the Brit.

"He's an ass." Said Roderich bluntly. "He is also very protective of his brother, who always manages to get himself into trouble. Also, a warning: he is extremely foul-mouthed. He can swear like a sailor, even more so than Eliza." Said brunette shifted her gaze over to the Austrian, glaring jokingly.

"Annnddd…" She turned back to Arthur. "The burly blonde one is Ludwig, Gilbert's younger brother." Arthur gawked.

"Y-younger? He looks like he could be a senior! Or even in university!" The curvaceous girl laughed.

"Nope, he's in our grade. The guys in the Trio are all a year ahead of us, but the Vargas brothers and Ludwig are indeed our age." Arthur had to admit it, the schools in America were most certainly more diverse than those back in Britain.

After lunch, and after the last 3 class periods, Matthew had invited Arthur to walk home with him.

"So, what neighborhood do you live in?" Asked Matthew as lunch was dismissing.

"Um, Hawthorne Woods." Answered the green-eyed boy. Matthew smiled.

"Same here, west side? Near the elementary school?" Arthur nodded yes.

"Alright then, we should walk home together." He said.

"Sure, but why not take the bus?" Arthur asked.

"Because you get more time to talk then."

And so, Arthur stood outside the East Entrance to the school, watching as upperclassmen (and a few freeloading sophomores and freshmen) got into their cars to embrace the few free hours they had after school had let out.

After nearly 10 minutes of waiting, Arthur was about to go back inside and look for Matthew, until he saw the blonde boy bounding through the doors to meet him.

"Where were you? You look like you've been running." Asked the thick-eye browed boy.

"Sorry! I had to quickly check something. I didn't think it would take that long." Huffed Matthew as he caught his breath. "Anyways, you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

It took the pair only about a half hour to walk the distance from the school to the neighborhood, but in that time Arthur just might have made his first true friend in America. It turned out that Matthew wasn't really all that shy once you got to know him. He enjoyed videogames, especially RPGs, watching 'Who's Line Is It Anyway?' playing the Saxophone, and actually was pretty decent at math and science.

"My older brother is _way _better at it than me though." He said as they turned the corner by the fire station. "I just learned everything I needed to know about math from him."

In turn for Matthew telling all of this to Arthur, he too did the same. The British boy expressed his passion for Unicorns and Faeries to the Canadian, and how he enjoyed reading books, or, more specifically, Fantasy and Classic Literature.

"Wow, you really are the most British person I have ever met." Laughed Matthew as Arthur was elaborating on the true complexity of Shakespeare's plays.

"Well, I suppose. It's my favorite place in the whole world." He reminisced.

"Oh, do you drink tea?" Asked the purple-eyed boy. Arthur beamed.

"What self-deserving English gentleman doesn't?" Matthew chuckled.

"True enough, so which one's your house?" He asked. Arthur hadn't even realized that they were at their destination already, and had to look around before he could pick out the correct house.

"Oh, it's that one." He pointed to their right, at a charming two-story red-brick home. Matthew smiled to himself.

"I knew it." Arthur looked at him inquisitively.

"What do you mean?"

"We saw that the for-sale sign had been brought down."

"Oh… and the moving vans too?"

"No, your furniture and stuff probably arrived later right? Since it had to be shipped over-seas."

"Well, yeah. But where you then?"

"My family and I went for vacation in Quebec to visit family. We only came back a few days before school started."

"Oh I see!"

"But yeah, my house is the one right next to yours."

"Wow, awesome!" Arthur beamed. "I have never had next-door neighbors before! You know, living in the country and all." Matthew smiled.

"Well, I will make sure we are the friendliest neighbors you'll ever have." He said as he walked onto his front porch to the front door. "Oh," He added. "I will also try to make sure the noise is kept down." Arthur smiled.

"Yeah, sure, thanks." He responded.

_Wait… what noise?_

Several hours later, while Arthur was taking a shot at his math problems, he knew exactly the noise Matthew had been talking about. _I thought he said he'd TRY to keep it down, _he thought to himself. _Although now it seems like he couldn't give any less of a fuck…_

For the past half hour, all Arthur was able to hear was the sound of his impatient fingers tapping the surface of his desk, and the blasting music coming from next door at the Williams' household. What's worse, it was coming from the bedroom directly across the yard from his, _and _the window was open. Arthur had tried everything in his power to dull the noise without disturbing Matthew, but not even a closed window or his own music could shield him from the Nickelback songs that were blasting to kingdom come. Arthur was nearly at his wit's end.

Until, suddenly, the music stopped.

The blonde boy looked over to his window, which was closed and had the curtains drawn in a futile attempt at keeping the sound out. Was it over? Could he finally get back to trying his damndest at remembering how to factor?

Much to his dismay, though, a new band had begun blasting through the speakers.

_He just stopped to switch CD's? _Arthur mentally swore, stomped over to the window, and drew back the curtains to see if Matt was within earshot. Indeed, there he was, wandering around his room aimlessly.

_Seriously, does he need a soundtrack while he's being a lazy arse? _Arthur thought to himself. He opened his window.

"Matthew!" He hollered towards the opposing house. No response. "MATTHEW! ...MATTHEW WILLIAMS!" He yelled as loud as he could over the blaring music.

"I DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET MY ATTENTION IF YOU KEEP YELLING THE WRONG NAME!" Came the reply.

Arthur was confused, what did Matthew mean? The music turned off, and the blonde boy in the other house looked out of his opened window. Only, it was the wrong blonde boy. He still resembled Matthew in many ways, but there were minor differences. Rather than his hair being smooth and wavy, it was short, choppy, and most of all, terribly messy, with a single stray hair seeming to defy gravity at the very front. In addition, his eyes were different. He wore similar glasses, but behind them, instead of the violet purple that Matthew possessed, there was bright sky blue.

"You're… the guy from earlier today?" Asked the Brit, his mind spinning.

"Why so surprised? I _do _live here you know." Replied the stranger.

"B-but… this is Matthew's house…"

"Yeah, it is, but I live here too."

"You live there too…" The other boy grinned.

"Glad to see you've accepted my existence. Truly, it makes me feel a lot better." He joked. "But in all seriousness, Matthew is my brother. My twin, to be exact. I'm Alfred, Alfred Jones." Suddenly everything fell into place for Arthur. _He did mention a brother, didn't he?_

"A pleasure…" He responded somewhat sarcastically. "I'm Arthur Kirkland. And you mean your fraternal twin, right?"

"My what?"

"You guys aren't identical."

"Yeah, and…?" Arthur mentally facepalmed himself.

"Just… never mind."

"Okay. So what is it you needed from Matthew? You want me to go get him?" He asked. The British teen shook his head.

"No, actually, it actually was you that I needed. Well, I thought I needed Matthew, but then it turns out it was you, and… just, ugh…" Alfred laughed.

"I get it, go on."

"I was just going to ask that you turn your music down."

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. It just helps me concentrate." _How in the world could it possibly do THAT?_

"It's fine, just keep it down and that'd be great. I'm just really trying to figure out my algebra homework right now, and I need peace and quiet." Alfred's cerulean eyes lit up.

"Do you need help? I'm REALLY good at math!" He exclaimed. Arthur was taken aback at the surge of excitement from the American boy, and was about to refuse for fear of his headache becoming worse, until he recalled what Matthew had told him about Alfred's affinity for mathematics.

_He taught you everything you know, hmm?_

"Fine." He replied. Alfred looked almost as if he were going to explode.

"This is so epic! I'll be over before you can say Christopher Reeve!" Arthur was about to stop him and say that they could simply do it from their windows, but it was no use, the blue-eyed boy could already be heard stomping down the stairs. Arthur sighed to himself.

_What is this kid on that gives him so much energy? _

Before he even had time to go and look up who that Christopher Reeves guy was, he could hear the doorbell ring from downstairs. He hollered down to his parents that it was for him, but by the time he got down the stairwell, it appeared someone else had already answered.

"Who're you?" Asked Peter, who, when put next to Alfred, stood barely up to his stomach.

"I'm Alfred; I've come to see Arthur."

"You're a friend of Arthur's?" The 10-year-old asked.

"I suppose so, yeah."

"Lies!" The tiny boy exclaimed. "Arthur has no friends!" Said boy quickly intervened, pushing his little brother out of the way.

"Enough Peter! You are quite annoying even without having to open your mouth!" Alfred chuckled at this. The young Brit huffed, obviously disappointed, and stomped back into the living room. "Sorry about him," Apologized Arthur. "I'm almost certain something is wrong with him, but the tests keep coming back negative." Alfred couldn't help but smile.

"Heh, that's fine. I like him, he's cute. Anyways, shall we?"

Surprisingly, they were able to get the homework done within an hour.

"Amazing… and you didn't even give me the answers." Mumbled Arthur in awe. Alfred chuckled.

"Course not, that'd defeat the purpose of me teaching you." He replied. "The purpose is to make it so you can do the math without me always havin' to be next to you, not to just give you the answers and let you slide by easily." Arthur nodded in approval. "Speaking of which," Said Alfred. "Do you remember the formulas I gave you? You can always have them in your notes to look back on, but it's better to also memorize them as time goes on, so you can do the problems faster."

"Yeah, and I'll try… but I can't make any promises." Alfred smiled, and got up from his spot on Arthur's bedroom floor.

"Just remember: F.O.I.L. Front, outside, inside, last. Okay?" The Brit nodded, and they made their way back downstairs to the front door.

"Well, I hope you get them all right." Said Alfred as he put his shoes on. Arthur gaped at him.

"You mean you didn't check to make sure I got the problems correct?" The American laughed.

"I'm just kidding! Trust me, if you get one point marked off tomorrow, I will personally go and buy you dinner!"

"Fine. Deal." Said Arthur bluntly.

"Huh?"

"I need tutoring in math, and you…"

"I get bored easily."

"Okay, I need tutoring, and you need something to pass the time, so how about it? Same time tomorrow?" Alfred grinned.

"Alright then, it's a deal!" He replied, and pulled Arthur into bear hug. This took the green-eyed boy by surprise, and he hardly had time to hug the taller boy before he saw him bound down the porch steps and jump over the dividing hedge into the blackness of the late summer night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- **

Arthur was determined to make the second day of school better than the previous. He had made double-sure to set his alarm for a comfortable 6:00 a.m., and again had set out his clothes a night in advance. His plan worked flawlessly, and the sandy-blonde boy found himself waiting at the school bus stop on the corner of his street at exactly 6:55. To add to his success, he also spotted his two neighbors walking up towards him not a minute later.

"Hey, Arthur." Matthew greeted in his normal quiet manner. Arthur smiled and gave him a 'Good morning' in response.

"Sup, Artie?" Alfred said loudly. Arthur turned to him with a blank expression.

"Not much, except for the fact that I do _not _enjoy being called 'Artie'." Alfred looked sullen.

"Aw, why not? It's cute!"

"Alfred," Retorted the shorter boy. "Cute is for puppies, kittens, and babies. As far as I can see, I am none of those things." The American snickered.

"I think I beg to differ…" He muttered to himself.

"Hey, I heard that!" Exclaimed Arthur. Alfred could do nothing but laugh hysterically.

"You two know each other?" Matthew asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, _unfortunately._" Replied Arthur, directing the last comment towards the still-giggling boy. "He came over last night to help me with my geometry homework." The shy boy smiled.

"He really is amazing at it, isn't he?"

"You bet! I am the amazing hero who will always be there to save the day!" Exclaimed Alfred, who proceeded to assume a gallant, heroic pose just as the yellow bus rolled up to the corner.

Arthur started down at the piece of paper on his desk, shocked. When he corrected his own work, he would use stars to mark the problems that he got right, just to add a little more light to them, and to make it seem like he usually didn't completely fail at math. But today, the stars did more than just that, they shone brightly in green ink on his homework everywhere, literally _everywhere. _Just as Alfred had said, there was not one answer that was incorrect, not one 'X', and Arthur literally felt as though he could have danced right in the middle of the classroom.

At lunch, he proudly shoved the marked paper into Matthew's face when he arrived at their designated table. The quiet boy smiled.

"See?" He said happily. "I told you he was amazing." Arthur sat in his chair.

"Indeed, and I should have believed you, actually, I don't think anybody would be able to believe it until they saw it." The Canadian chuckled.

"Yeah, my brother can seem like a doofus most of the time, but he really knows his math and science, that's for sure."

"Let me see!" Exclaimed Elizaveta, who plucked the sheet of paper from Arthur's hand. She stared at the green stars unbelievingly, glared up at Arthur, and forcefully handed it back. "I am _so _jealous right now." Arthur giggled.

"Heh, but it really wasn't any of my doing. It was all thanks to Alfred."

"Hmm, who knew a jock could be so good at factoring?" The brunette girl asked rhetorically.

"What do you mean?" Asked the Brit.

"Alfred's really into sports and things like that." Explained Matthew. Arthur cocked a dark eyebrow.

"Really? How so?"

"He's a 3-sport athlete. If only he could fit more sports in, I'm sure he would. He plays Football in the fall, Hockey in the winter – which I also play, and Baseball in the spring."

"Wow." Was all the green-eyed boy could say. _He manages all of those sports AND he keeps up with school? _

"But he keeps his summers free- always." Matthew said as he took a bite out of his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. "You know, for family vacations and friends, stuff like that."

"Yeah."

"Ah, well _bonjour _Mathieu!" Announced a deep voice. Suddenly, an unfamiliar arm was thrown around the purple-eyed boy's shoulders. Matthew froze in place, dropping his sandwich onto his plastic tray.

"Aw, you are not happy to see _moi?_" The man said to the quiet boy. Arthur looked up to find it was one of the guys from the Trio. Francis, he remembered.

"W-what is it, Francis?" Questioned Matthew nervously. "I-I'm just trying to eat."

"I've missed you so much, _mon amour! _You never cease to wound me with your shyness and running away! But that's alright, you are cute and small like a mouse that way, just like you should be!" Matthew quickly got up from his seat.

"U-um, listen, Francis, I just really…" He got cut off by the Frenchman's sudden outburst towards Arthur.

"Ah, well if it isn't a new student! And what might your name be?"

"That's not really any of your business, is it?" Retorted the Brit. He could already tell that he didn't like the older student, and in addition did not want him terrorizing Matthew. "And are you blind? Can't you see that Matt is terrified of you?"

"_Non, non! _I have known little Mathieu ever since he first came here, and we have been close ever since! There is no need to worry, _Angleterre!_" Arthur didn't really like the new nickname he had been given, or of what the senior was saying, but he shifted his gaze over to the trembling Canadian for his approval.

"Is what he saying the truth, Matthew? You don't mind if he talks to you?" The boy shook his head vigorously.

"N-no, it's fine! Everything he said is right, don't worry yourself over it." The Englishman sighed and sat back in his chair, taking the Canadian's word for it.

"Alright then, Matt. I believe you." Francis lit up and took Arthur's smaller hands between his own.

"Does that mean that we are friends now?" He asked excitedly in his thick accent. Arthur was speechless.

"Excuse me? I hardly even..."

"This is _fantastique_! I am so glad I have been able to become friends with the new student so quickly! It most certainly must be my romantic charm!" He winked down at Arthur, who nearly choked on his tea, bid the lunch table _adieu_, and waltzed back to join the rest of the Trio. All Arthur was able to do was stare blankly as the Frenchman left, and question his own sanity.

"What… just happened?" He asked as he turned back around to face his tablemates.

They all just shrugged in unison.

After the strange incident with Francis at lunch, Arthur just felt drained for some reason. He sat at his desk in Chemistry with his head plopped down on the hard surface. He didn't care that it was uncomfortable; he just needed to rest his head, for fear of a migraine coming on.

The blonde boy became lost in his thoughts for a moment, and was in the middle of remembering that he had to look up who Christopher Reeve was when the final bell rang, signaling that class was starting. The teacher started off by passing back their assessments that the students had done the previous day, which forcefully brought Arthur back to reality. Like mathematics, Arthur also was dreadful when it came to any form of science, and he most certainly did not want his failure to be shoved in his face.

But sure enough, when he was passed back his paper, there were 'X's splattered throughout a great majority of the problems, and many circles placed sporadically between the words. Arthur's head began to hurt again, and he sighed and slammed his head back down onto the desktop.

For the rest of the hour, Arthur didn't even try to comprehend what the teacher had been explaining; something about molecular structure. He didn't care, though, all he wanted was for the school day to be over, so he could go home and take a long nap, and, thankfully for the Brit, the bell to end the class period was merciful. In what fortunately seemed like no time, the sixteen-year old was plopping his schoolbag on the floor of his bedroom and curling up beneath his forest-green duvet for a perfect, well-awaited for nap.

When the thick-eye-browed boy woke up, the sky from outside his window was tinted with the purple and orange clouds of a sunset. He wondered if Alfred had gotten home yet, and listened for any music coming from the opposing window, but there was none. Arthur yawned, stretched, and slunk out from beneath the covers and made his way downstairs. He could hear voices and smell food, and as he slid into the kitchen with his stocking feet, he spotted his mother at the stove.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Sleepyhead!" The middle-aged woman announced cheerfully. "I was just about to wake you up, Artie. You had a rough day at school?" Arthur peaked into the pots and pans on the stovetop to see what was for dinner, and nodded.

"A bit; I'm still trying to get used to it."

"Well, on the bright side, you have a visitor." The blonde woman gestured over to the open living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen, and Arthur looked over.

This time, he literally _did _do a facepalm.

There was Peter, who was playing their new _Mario_ game on the Nintendo 64, this was not unusual, but sitting right next to him, filling the role of Player 2, was Alfred. The blue-eyed boy paused the game, and turned to look over at Arthur.

"Sup, Artie?" He exclaimed excitedly as he got up and sped over to the shorter blonde. "So, I came over after football practice, but your Mom said you were sleeping! And sure enough, when I went up to your room, there you were! I was really bummed for awhile, but then your kid brother said he was bored too, so then we started playing with the 64! And here we are!"

"That's nice, Alfred." Said Arthur sarcastically. "So, when are you moving in?" The blue-eyed boy hopped up to sit on the countertop, and shot him a confused expression.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You certainly have made yourself comfortable in my house." Alfred grinned.

"Well, yeah! You guys are cool! I wish my family was like this all the time." Arthur wondered why Alfred's family _wouldn't _be like his, the Kirkland's were about as normal as it got. "And your Mom is super nice and pretty!" Alfred said a bit louder, so Mrs. Kirkland could hear it over the sound of the sizzling food.

"Arthur, I think I really like your new friend!" She giggled without turning from the stovetop. The sandy-haired boy glared over at Alfred, causing the other to laugh.

"Don't flirt with my Mom, Alfred!"

"I'm not! I'm telling the truth!" Arthur sighed.

"We should all just be thankful she doesn't possess the Kirkland eyebrows…" He mumbled, causing Alfred to laugh even more.

"Okay, boys, dinner!" Arthur's mother announced. They all gathered around the table.

Once the two teens had gotten back up to Arthur's room after eating, Alfred collapsed onto the bed with a sigh.

"Your Mom makes _really _good dumplings!" He exclaimed. Arthur chuckled.

"I know, you've said that about 5 times since we ate, you git."

"But I'm serious! I could seriously just come over here every night!"

"What about your own family?" The taller blonde sat up on the bed, and was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Well, most of the time it's just me and Matthew. My Dad is just always working to support us, so…"

"But what about your mother?" Arthur asked. Alfred tilted his head to look down at his stocking feet.

"She's… never around. Our parents divorced when Mattie and I were really young, and…" Arthur knew he had brought up something painful for the other boy, and quickly interrupted him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I just forget that sometimes families do that. Obviously, I haven't had to deal with that problem, so I…" Alfred interrupted him in reply.

"Exactly, which is why I really like your family! They're so close, and well… family-like, that I can't help but wish I had that." Arthur was surprised for a moment at the other's words, but then smiled.

"Well, you're always welcome here. And Matt, too. Speaking of which, don't you think he's lonely at home all alone?" He asked, glancing in the direction of the neighboring house.

"Nah, he's cool." Said Alfred casually as he got up from the bed. "Francis is over a lot at night, so I don't think he's lonely." Arthur gawked at the other boy.

"Francis? I thought Matthew was terrified of him!" Alfred laughed as he picked up his backpack and made his way back to his spot on the small bed.

"Nope. Just nervous. They always hang out though. Well, except for when Francis is bro-chillin' with Gilbert and Antonio, of course." Arthur raised a thick eyebrow.

"Bro-chilling? Ugh, never mind…" He turned back to the window. "I just didn't think Matthew would willingly hang out with that frog."

"He really is a nice guy, just kind of a perv and romanticist, that's all."

"Heh, that's exactly what Elizaveta said too." Alfred dumped his textbooks and papers out of his bag onto the bed haphazardly. Arthur glared. "You _are _picking that up when we're done." Alfred chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatevs. So you wanna work on some more Algebra?"

"Yes, but… can I ask something of you?" Alfred looked up from rummaging through his school supplies.

"Uh, depends on what it is. If you are gonna try and sell me weed or something…"

"Of course not! I just really also need help with Chemistry!" Alfred snickered.

"What, girl troubles?" Arthur stared at the other boy.

"Are you serious right now?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"Heh, no. But I can definitely help you with your Chemistry stuff. It's pretty convenient, actually. You suck at all the subjects I'm good at!" The American beamed.

"Oh really?" Retorted Arthur as he crossed his arms in defiance. "Well then, what are _you _bad at?" Alfred scratched the back of his head nervously.

"English. Pretty much reading and writing in general, actually. And history." Arthur smirked.

"All of which I excel at." The blue-eyed boy shot his gaze up to the Brit.

"Really? Then, you know, you should totally help me with that stuff in exchange for me helping you with your math and science!" Arthur chuckled, and nodded.

"Sure, Alfie. I suppose it _is _a more equal exchange than just giving something to spend your evening's on." Alfred stared for a moment, then smiled happily, but said nothing.

"What is it now?" Asked Arthur.

"You called me Alfie." Muttered the taller boy. Arthur stared for a moment, but after realizing his mistake, turned around, as if to shun Alfred. "Come on, Artie!" The other complained, grabbing Arthur by the shoulder. "Say it again, please?"

"Absolutely not! I hardly even noticed myself saying it, and I assure you, it most certainly won't happen again!" He announced in his British accent. "And I thought I told you to stop calling me Artie!" Alfred chuckled, and wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders in an attempt to turn him back around.

"Aw, but come on, dude! You can call me Alfie and I'll call you Artie! It can be our thing! Pleeeeaaassseeeee?" Arthur tore the stronger boy's arms from around himself and stood up from the bed.

"Absolutely not! I refuse to be called that!"

"You let your mom call you it!" Alfred whined. Arthur sighed loudly.

"She's my mother!"

"And I'm your friend!" Arthur paused a moment at this. He and Alfred really were starting to become friends, weren't they? He thought that he would end up hanging out with Matthew the most, but for the past two nights, he had been with Alfred. But, indeed, it had only been two nights.

"I've only known you for two days!"

"So? They've been fun, haven't they? And we've already agreed to continue hanging out and doing homework and shit in the future, haven't we? Just let me call you Artie, please!"

"No!"

"Pretty please with a sparkly awesome cherry on top?"

"Alfred, just…"

"You don't even have to call me Alfie; just let me call you by your nickname!" _Damn, he just won't shut up, will he? Guess he never learned to… _The Brit thought to himself. He sighed deeply, and sat back down on his twin-sized bed.

"Fine, you win. You can call me Artie if you wish, but I refuse to call you anything but Alfred." The American smiled.

"Not even Super-epic-mega-awesomepants-Alfred?" The shorter boy glared intensely, saying nothing. "Just a joke! Just a joke! Umm… any who, what about that chemistry homework…?"

Once again, Arthur found himself and Alfred standing in his front doorway after their homework session, saying their temporary goodbyes.

"So, I guess I will see you tomorrow then..." Mumbled Arthur. Alfred flashed his signature grin.

"Yeah, same time, same place. Oh wait! Before I go…" The tall blonde fished his cell phone out from his pocket, and flipped it open. "You have one too, right?" Arthur nodded slowly.

"But just because I have one," He said defiantly. "Doesn't mean I actually _use _it." Alfred stared at the other boy, shocked.

"You don't _use _your phone?" Arthur shook his head. "Well, now you will!" He took the liberty upon himself to take the Brit's flip-phone out from his front pocket, and began to furiously type his contact info in.

"Alfred, I hardly think…" The green-eyed boy began.

"We can text each other! You know, like when we are at school and stuff! Or when I'm at work…"

"You work? Where?" Asked Arthur curiously.

"McDonald's." Arthur guffawed.

"Pfft! I should have known!" The pair laughed together as Alfred switched phones to type Arthur's number into his own phone.

"There, done!" He chirped cheerfully, and handed Arthur back his device. "And when I text you, don't just ignore me, okay?" He pleaded. The shorter boy smiled up at him.

"Alright, I'll try not to." Alfred smiled in return, and once again, pulled the other into a tight embrace. Arthur had expected it though, and this time, he made sure to hug him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the helpful and encouraging reviews that you have posted! It truly does motivate me to write faster and continue on with the story! I especially am happy with all the comments about my portrayal of Alfred :) He's got to be my favorite character within the Hetalia fandom *is probably biased since she lives in the USA* but any who, I would like to give my special thanks to these reviewers:**

**xxAnime4everxx**

**The great Emi sama**

**Angels love Dangoes **

**Alphine **

**Anglia-chan **

**AlexTooCoolForYou **

**ChainLincoln **

**Dissideum**

**Again, thank you all, and I will continue to type my fastest and work my hardest! 3  
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**Chapter 3- **

That Thursday morning, Arthur woke up to the pitter-patter of rain on his roof. But it wasn't just that. The British teen looked out his window to find that it was literally pouring outside. He sighed loudly at the thought of having to go about his daily business in this kind of weather. He sluggishly got ready for school, and slunk into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Hey, butt face!" Called Peter from down the hallway. "It's raining!" Arthur peered out from the bathroom door and glared at the younger version of himself.

"You think I don't know that, Peter?" He managed with a toothbrush in his mouth. "I'm not stupid." The 10-year-old stuck his tongue out at him.

"Yeah you are! You're just too stupid to notice!" Arthur rolled his eyes, and continued to brush while ignoring the younger boy. Suddenly, though, his cell phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans. He picked up the unfamiliar device, and flipped it open. It was a text from Alfred.

From: Alfred

Date: 09/07/00

Time: 6:37 AM

Morning Artie! Rainy today isnt it?

Never fear! Wait outside ur house

on the front porch okay? Today, u

won't need the bus!

Arthur nearly spat out his mint-flavored toothpaste at the American's atrocious grammar, but nonetheless, began attempting to type back in response.

To: Alfred

Date: 09/07/00

Time: 6:38 AM

Good God, Alfred, you really DO need

help with your proper English! Just work

on that for me, alright? Any ways, alright.

I will be waiting.

With that, the thickly-browed boy stuck the phone back into his pocket, fixed his hair, and made his way downstairs. He grabbed his school bag, quickly stuffed his unicorn-themed umbrella inside (just in case), and walked out onto the porch. He sat down on the bench placed outside, but turned his gaze back to the door, where his mother stood.

"What are you doing, Arthur?" She asked. _That's right, forgot to tell her._

"Alfred sent me a text; I think he's getting us a ride to school instead of the bus." The blonde woman lit up.

"Aw, well isn't that so nice of him? I really do like that boy." Arthur gave a small smile.

"Ha ha, yes Mum, I know."

"But I never thought you'd become friends with such an outspoken boy." She commented. This caused Arthur to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have been always so quiet and fragile. You never had anyone come over, you always had to go to their houses, and you never let anyone joke with you except for me." She paused. "But now, that Alfred has gotten past all of that in just a matter of days. Quite extraordinary, if you ask me." Arthur looked down at his bag, contemplating her words.

"Huh, I-I suppose…" But he was suddenly cut off by the honking of a car horn. The green-eyed boy looked up.

There, waiting on the street for him, were Alfred and Matthew. And they had a car, but, it wasn't just any car, and, despite the rain, Arthur bounded down through the grass up to the vehicle.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled over the sound of the water. Alfred laughed hysterically from the driver's seat.

"This is my baby! Her name's Lady, and she's a 1964 Mustang convertible!" Arthur was speechless. He stood there in the pouring rain for a moment, gawking at the car. It was in mint condition, with the black interior seats perfect and shiny, the white-rimmed wheels without a single scuff, and the red paint glittering, even in the horrible weather.

"Are you insane? Bringing her out in this weather!" Scolded the Brit. Alfred continued to laugh.

"Dude, it's cool! She's for special occasions, and I think this counts as one! Now get in! You're drenched!" Arthur raised his arms in defeat, and quickly got into the backseat of the antique vehicle, sheltering himself from the rain underneath the removable top.

"Fuck! I'm getting the seats wet!" He cursed. Matthew turned around in the front passenger seat to look at him as they drove away from the curb.

"A-Arthur, it's fine! Car seats are meant to withstand things like that…" Said boy sighed, attempting to calm himself.

"I know, just… wait, was this _your _idea Alfred?" The blue-eyed boy glanced at the other through the rear-view mirror, and winked.

"And if it was…?"

"I'd have to seize this vehicle from your custody for misuse." Alfred laughed.

"I think that's called stealing! Plus, this isn't just for getting us to school in the rain."

"Oh really, what else?"

"It's for impressing the girls!"

"You're going to need a better excuse."

"And uh, getting me back home after football practice…?" Arthur did a facepalm.

"You really _are _hopeless…"

"Oh hey! That reminds me!" Exclaimed Alfred as they stopped at a red light. "There's a football game this Friday night! You should totally go and cheer me on! It's even at home, too!"

"I really don't think so, I'm not into…" Matthew interrupted the Brit.

"Y-yeah, Arthur! Everybody from the lunch table is going too!"

"_Really?_" The Canadian boy grinned.

"Of course! Football games are a big thing in High School! We can all go together and hang out there! You don't even have to watch the game if you don't want to!"

"Hey!" Alfred interjected. His twin laughed.

"Well, maybe we should, a little. For Alfie's sake." Arthur contemplated the idea for a moment as they pulled into the school parking lot.

"Seriously, guys, I'm just not into sports…" Alfred wove into a spot and turned off the ignition. He turned around and looked at the Brit with puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Artie! I won't be able to play right if I know you're not there!" Arthur averted his eyes from the pleading face. _This guy really needs to stop begging me like this... _"What if our team loses our first home game because of my faults, huh? I'm the lead quarterback! And Artie, it would end up being ALL your fault!" He was yelling now, and as he continued on his huge football rant while Matthew tried to calm him down, Arthur simply gave a huge sigh.

"Ugh, fine! Just shut up, please!" The twins looked over at him with beaming faces. "Good God, you guys are louder than the rain…"

After the three teens had gotten into the school, Alfred offered to get Arthur some new clothes, since his had been drenched by the rain during his stupor over Lady.

"I have a stuff in my gym locker that you could borrow." The taller boy said. Arthur nodded and they made their way into the boys' locker room.

"I've never been in here before…" Muttered Arthur as they threaded their way through the rows and rows of sea-foam green lockers.

"Heh, not much of a sports guy then?" Replied Alfred. "I'm in here all the time. Nothing like a bunch of naked sweaty guys bathing in their own B.O."

"Ugh, please don't make me throw up, it's still before noon." The taller boy chuckled.

"Sorry, I'll try not to. Here we are!" The pair stopped in front of one of the permanent athlete lockers, and Alfred knelt down to put in his combination. "I know I have an extra set of clothes in here somewhere…" He mumbled as he rummaged through the multiple bags hanging on the hooks within. "Aha!" He pulled out a spare T-shirt and a pair of light blue jeans out of his duffel. Arthur merely stared though as Alfred held out the clothes in front of him.

"You can't be serious." He said unbelievingly. Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"What? Is there something wrong?"

"A… Superman shirt?" The tall boy looked down at the folded clothing and giggled. Sure enough, the Superman Logo was plastered on the blue and red T-shirt.

"Heh, what can I say? He's my idol. Well, I have quite a few… but, you know." Arthur rolled his eyes and took the bundle from the blue-eyed boy.

"Thanks, I'll be right back." The short Brit scurried into a bathroom stall and changed into the clothes as the American waited for him on one of the benches.

Arthur had hated gym class back in England. It was easy to get an A, but also, far too much work. Because of his small stature and lack of any muscle whatsoever, he wasn't good at running, or jumping, or pushups, or anything else that was physically strenuous. He would always end up sweating uncontrollably and feeling as if he was going to throw up and pass out, or vice versa. As such, the only after-school activities he participated in were either going to the fantasy section in the school's library or going straight home to do whatever the hell he liked. But one of the things that he despised almost as much as the actual physical activity in P.E. were the locker rooms and changing. Out of worry that others would make fun of him, and also out of a bit of pride, the young Brit would always change in the bathroom stalls, and so far, even though he had no gym classes for the next two years, he still hadn't grown out of the habit.

Reluctantly, after putting the overly-large clothing on himself, Arthur exited the blue stall, and sat back down on the bench with Alfred in order to roll up the legs of the jeans, which reached past his feet, and would otherwise have dragged on the floor. As he did so, the blue-eyed boy spoke up.

"Heh, I never thought I'd see you wearing Superman." He muttered. Arthur glared up at him for a moment, and continued adjusting the unfamiliar clothing.

"I'm just glad it was that, and not something completely vulgar or against my country." Alfred laughed.

"True enough! I do have a T-shirt that says 'Screw the Queen, we have the Prez'." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Exactly my point." He gathered up his schoolbag, stuffed his extra clothes inside it, and turned back to Alfred. "Anyways, I'll see you after football practice, okay?" The American nodded, and Arthur turned to head to his history class, but felt a callused hand grab his own.

"Wait!" Exclaimed Alfred.

"What do you w…" Arthur began, but was unable to finish as he was pulled into Alfred's familiar, warm embrace. A moment later, Alfred let go, and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Sorry, I had to say goodbye." Arthur raised a dark eyebrow.

"Why do…" He was abruptly interrupted again, but this time by the warning bell. "Bugger it all! Never mind! See you later, Alfred!" The British boy called as he sprinted out of the locker room.

"Awesome, so everybody's going to the football game tomorrow?" Exclaimed Elizaveta excitedly at the lunch table as Matthew recounted about Arthur's reluctance to attend. "This is gonna be epic!" She added. "So, including Roddy and me, we can fit 7 people in my Mom's minivan. Who is able to get a ride from somewhere else?"

"Arthur and I could get a ride from Alfred." Volunteered Matthew quietly. Elizaveta lit up.

"Great! So we can all meet by the concession stand, ok?" The group nodded. "Oh! And remember to wear your Pit shirts! That's the only way you're allowed in!" Arthur looked questioningly over at Matthew.

"The Pit?" He asked the smiling Canadian.

"I thought you'd ask. It's a reserved place in the stands for sports events that only juniors and seniors are allowed in, and the only way you can get in is if you are wearing your Pit shirt. Seniors' shirts are blue, and juniors' are green, both the school's colors, obviously. It gets pretty crazy, though. People go all-out for the teams and end up doing crazy things, but thankfully, we don't go that far. We just wear a bunch of Eagan clothing, and paint our faces and stuff." Arthur nodded.

"Ah, I see. We had something like that back at my college in Britain. I didn't really participate, though." Matthew frowned.

"Well, don't worry! You're with us, so you'll fit right in! I'll even help you with your face paint!"

"I don't think I will be going quite…" Matthew gave him puppy dog eyes that nearly matched those of Alfred, and the Brit paused. "Ugh, never mind. Go ahead with the paint." The purple-eyed boy brightened up again. Arthur merely sighed and continued sipping his tea.

Friday passed quickly, due to the classes being shortened for a pep fest at the end of the school day, much to Arthur's delight. Alfred had given the green-eyed boy his own Pit shirt the previous night as they were working on homework, since Arthur didn't have one of his own yet.

"Actually, I don't even know why I got it." The American questioned as they sat on Arthur's small bed. "I don't ever wear it, since I'm always on the field rather than in the stands, so if you want, you can keep it." Arthur shook his head slightly.

"I probably won't put it to very much use, either, Alfred."

"You mean you won't be coming to any of my other games? There are WAY more important ones down the road, trust me!" The thickly browed boy sighed.

"Well, also, it's far too big for me!" The boy with glasses grinned.

"So? I think that's what makes it so charming on you." Arthur glared, sensing a bit of heat dusting his cheeks.

"But, really, Alfred, it's yours! Keep it!"

"Stop making excuses not to accept it, Artie!" Retorted the taller boy. Arthur stared at him for a moment, then hunched over in defeat.

"You suck." He muttered. Alfred laughed.

"And you can never just say 'yes'." And so, complying with Alfred's pleas, Arthur reluctantly wore the green ensemble.

The bell signaling that last hour was over tolled, and Arthur made his way through the throng of students down to the gym. When he walked in, though, he felt completely overwhelmed. Somehow, they had managed to fit over 2,000 students into the space, and the British boy was unable to spot Matthew or anyone else he knew in the large crowds of people taking their seats in the stands. Although, what he did spot was a large blob of green pit shirts on the far side of the large room, near where the pep band was being situated. He followed his intuition and walked quickly towards where apparently all the juniors were meant to sit. As he neared the mob, though, much to his relief, Arthur spotted a dozen hands waving at him from the very top seats. He smiled, and strode up to meet the small group.

"Arthur! Where were you?" Exclaimed Elizaveta as he got within earshot.

"I didn't know where to go, really." He admitted as he finally made it to the top. The brunette girl huffed and let it slide.

"I _did _text you though." She added. Arthur slid out his cell phone from his pocket checked. Sure enough, he had gotten a message from an unfamiliar number saying where to meet them.

"Whoops, I uh, had my phone on silent. Sorry." The girl grinned.

"That's fine, just remember to put it back on vibrate now!" She turned and sat back down next to Heracles.

"Oh hey, where's Roderich? And Kiku?" Asked Arthur as he sat between Tino and Matthew.

"They're in the band! See?" Elizaveta pointed over to the mob next to them. "Roderich is playing the Clarinet at the front, and Kiku is sitting next to him with the Flute." Arthur nodded, and looked back to his phone.

"Oh, I just remembered, can I get everyone's number?" The group nodded, and by the time they had finished exchanging info, the lights in the gymnasium became dark, signaling the start of the Pep Fest.

Surprisingly, Arthur had rather enjoyed what he thought was going to be an overrated school-held event. He especially liked the part where Mr. Antiqua smacked his German teacher in the face with a pie, and also when the entire football team, including Alfred, had to embarrass themselves by doing a kick line with the dance team.

Afterwards, he and Matthew rode the bus back to Arthur's house to get ready for the football game.

"Here we go, I brought everything I thought we might need." Said Matt cheerfully as he dumped a duffle-full of Eagan apparel and other items onto the green-eyed boy's kitchen table. Arthur could only stand and gawk at how many things the Canadian had brought with him.

"Is this… _really _all necessary?" The Brit asked uncertainly. Matthew giggled.

"I really don't know, but if we need it, at least we have it. Now, to the bathroom!" The purple-eyed boy exclaimed, making his stray curl bounce as he skipped away with the blue and green face paint. Arthur calmly followed, reluctantly awaiting his fate to become Pep-ified.

It took only a couple of hours until the pair of teens were respectable enough (by Matthew's standards) to head back to the school. The two waited in Arthur's living room as the boy with glasses dialed his twin's number.

"…what? He's not picking up…" Said Matt. Arthur sighed, and pulled out his cell.

"Let me try." He too dialed the energetic blonde, but got the same annoying voice mail. "Where do you think he is?"

"He's… oh shit!" Arthur stiffened a bit, as he hadn't heard the Canadian swear before. "He's with the football team! His phone's probably in his gym locker!" The Brit sighed heavily and slouched down onto the sofa.

"Well, my parents are out, do you have any other means for a ride?" Matthew shook his head.

"No, my dad is at work with the other car, and obviously the Mustang is with Alfie…" His eyes widened a bit, and he looked back down at his cell phone. "Wait, actually… just a sec." Matt shuffled into the bathroom to call someone while Arthur waited. After several minutes, he returned, a slight blush grazing his cheeks and a small smile across his lips. "I got us a ride. They'll be here in fifteen minutes."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody! So sorry for the huge gap in updating! Since school has started, I have been extremely busy, but this story has always stayed in the back of my head. I finally got to finishing the new chapter though, and will try my utmost to continue releasing new chapters on a regular basis! Every 2 weeks maybe...? I don't know yet. But just know all of your feedback is extremely important to me, and any comments or reviews would be fantastic, thank you! **

**NOTE: At one point in this chapter, Francis and Matthew are speaking French to each other. Since I am in Spanish class and not French... I was forced to use Google Translate _ and since I know from personal experience that GT isn't always very correct in it's translations, if anyone who reads this speaks intermediate/fluent French, you are welcome to comment on which translations are incorrect, and I will definitely fix it!**

**Now, enough rambling!  
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**Chapter 4-**

As Arthur waited with Matthew on his driveway for their ride to the football game, he couldn't help but pester the poor Canadian boy about who he had called.

"You'll see when they get here, alright?" Matthew said firmly. Arthur sighed heavily, that was the same answer that he had been getting for the past ten minutes.

"Okay, fine. Do I know them?" Matthew continued to stare down their street as a lookout.

"You uh… I don't think you really know them personally, but you do know _of _them."

"Are they in our year?"

"Arthur, no more questions… oh! Here they come!" Arthur shifted his gaze down the road to a clunky white van that was obviously speeding in the neighborhood's 30-mile-an-hour zone. He was still unable to recognize who could've come to rescue them, but as the suspicious-looking vehicle neared the curb side, Arthur suddenly felt like walking to the school instead.

In the front were Antonio and Gilbert, and from that he could also assume that Francis was somewhere in the back of the van as well.

"Did somebody ask for a ride?" Yelled Gilbert roughly as he put his large van into park. Arthur could see now that the elder teen had also personalized his ride by writing 'FREE CANDY' on the side in black spray-paint.

"Umm… actually…" Arthur started to back away from the van slowly before Matthew grabbed his wrist.

"Please, Arthur! They're all I had! You don't even have to worry though, the Trio aren't as bad as they seem." Arthur stared at the Canadian, appalled, and looked back at the van.

"Matt, do you _see _this? Are you _blind_? They are driving a _white van_ with 'Free Candy' on the goddamn side! Does that not look a bit suspicious to you?" He whispered to the purple-eyed boy violently.

"It's just Gil's sense of humor, that's all. I've hung out with them a bunch of times, they're really nice guys! Just give them a chance, alright? It's hardly even a mile to the school anyways." Matthew did not wait for the green-eyed boy to respond, and opened the large sliding door into the bulky vehicle. Arthur nervously followed in defeat.

Once inside, He noticed that they weren't the only ones riding along with the Trio. Sitting in the very back seats was Gilbert's younger brother. _I think his name is… Ludwig? _Arthur thought to himself. And sitting next to the German were the Vargas twins, with Feliciano giggling at what seemed to be nothing and his brother looking rather bored and extremely pissed.

Thankfully, in the large van, all of the teenage boys were able to fit, and once the newest passengers had gotten into their seats, Gilbert enthusiastically stepped down onto the gas pedal towards the school.

"Let's kick this pig!" He yelled, both Francis and Antonio laughed hysterically at this, as it was probably some weird inside joke between the three. Arthur could only stare unbelievingly at the Trio, wondering if they had perhaps been dropped on their heads when they were young.

Once the British boy stumbled out of the van, he could have kissed the ground. Gilbert's driving was worse than being on a rollercoaster, and the blasting German heavy-metal on the radio hadn't helped at all. He resisted the urge, though, and quietly followed Matthew in awe as he saw how many people were already at the game. The Canadian had been right, it seemed as though the entire high school, middle school, and all their parents were going to attend the game tonight. The group made their way through the busy parking lot, and up to the stadium gates. As Arthur was waiting with Matt and Francis behind Gilbert though, he noticed that the albino had an overstuffed duffel bag hanging from his shoulder labeled 'Awesome Shit' he didn't even try to possibly imagine what the prankster senior could have fit inside.

Once they all got into the bleachers, Arthur looked around for the lunch table group. He managed to spot the top of Berwald's tall stature through the frantic mob of juniors and seniors within what he figured to be the Pit. He poked Matthew for his attention, and the pair shuffled through the crowd to where their group of friends was settled. They were greeted welcomingly, but when Arthur took a spot on the bench between Matt and Tino, he noticed that the Trio and their guests had taken a place right in front of them.

"Hey, who are we playing again?" Yelled Gilbert to Antonio over the rumble of the crowd.

"Eastview!" The Spaniard answered. Gilbert made his trademark 'kesesesesese' sound, and began to rummage through his bag. After a moment or two, he pulled out a rolled-up hand-made poster. He and his two best friends unrolled it, and Arthur could make out the backwards words 'Eastview- Get a City!' from behind. The Brit nudged Tino to ask what the sign meant. He laughed nervously.

"Heh, well, Eastview is located in Apple Valley, which already has its own city high school, so they don't really belong to any town like the rest of the schools do. That's what they're referring to." Arthur nodded, assuming that that was what they had meant.

"But can't they get in trouble for bad sportsmanship or something?" The pale boy thought for a moment.

"Hmm… well, I suppose not, they aren't using any vulgar language, or bringing down the actual team themselves, so I don't think there's anything the teachers can do." Arthur sighed, a bit disappointed. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned towards Matthew.

"Hey, do you want anything to eat? Francis and I are going to get some food." Asked the wavy-haired boy, grinning. The thickly-browed boy nodded, handing him a five dollar bill, and asked for a hot dog and a Pepsi.

After about a half hour of listening to Gilbert yelling at the cheerleaders to 'not mess up' and Elizaveta wolf-whistling at the other teams' players in their tight spandex pants, Arthur began to wonder where the Canadian and the Frenchman could have possibly gone. He stood up on the bench to get a look at the concession stand; the lines weren't very long. _Where in the world…?_ He wondered to himself.

After telling the rest of the group that he would be right back, the green-eyed boy headed down to look for the pair of boys. He went towards the concessions for a closer look, but didn't spot Matthew or Francis anywhere. There were a bunch of middle-schoolers seated on a grassy hill overlooking the football field by one of the goal posts, but even after weaving his way through the groups of preteens, he hadn't spotted the two blondes.

Arthur had given up, and began to make his way back to the Pit, until he spotted the Eagan football team heading into the stadium through an opening in the back fence. Wondering if he could spot Alfred, the British teen fast-walked over behind the tall stands in order to catch up with the large group. Sure enough, he spotted the silky blonde stray hair poking through the mob of tall guys, and hollered Alfred's name. The blue-eyed boy turned his gaze to Arthur, and lit up.

"Artie! You actually came!" He exclaimed, bounding over. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Of course I did, you git, I said I would!" Alfred laughed nervously.

"Heh, well, I know, but still, it's good to see you here anyways." The Brit smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Anyways, I was just looking for Matthew. Do you know where he might be? I have been looking for nearly twenty minutes already." Alfred thought a moment, but shrugged.

"No clue. Was he with anyone?" Arthur nodded.

"Yes, he was with Francis." The smile returned to the American's face.

"Well, then no need to worry dude! He's perfectly safe with Francie!" Reluctantly, Arthur took Alfred's word for it, since he knew his twin better than anyone else. "Ooh, I gotta go now! Get back to your seat quickly, before its game time!" The charismatic blonde winked, and rushed to catch up with the rest of the team once more. Arthur smiled, and began to make his way back to the stands, but as he walked, he could hear voices coming from behind the chain-link fence guarding the area underneath the bleachers. He couldn't really make out what was being said at first, until he realized it wasn't English, it was in French.

"_N-nous devons vraiment__revenir à__tout le monde…"_ Came a whisper. _We really should be getting back to everyone else... _translated Arthur in his head. He had been taking French for many years now, as it was a vital language to know when he traveled around Europe with his family.

"_Ne pas s'inquiéter,__le jeu__n'a pas__encore commencé.__" _Came the reply._ Not to worry, the game hasn't even started yet… _

"_Ils__se demanderont__où nous__sommes allés__!__" They will be wondering where we've gone._

"_Beaux__, juste __un baiser__pour moi__, Mathieu?__" Fine, just one more kiss for me, Matthew? _Arthur's eyes widened. Matthew!

The boy quickly opened the unlocked gate into the darkness beneath the stands, and searched around for any sign of the Canadian boy. Immediately, he spotted a pair of silhouettes leaning together against one of the tall metal braces, and could hear moans and a rustling of some sort. Arthur, obeying his instincts to save the shy boy, darted over towards the two, and tackled Francis.

After the impact, despite not being the one who had been pushed to the ground, Arthur still needed a few seconds in order to regain his senses. All he could manage to hear was Matthew screaming at him and Francis groaning in pain.

"P-please, Arthur! Don't hurt him!" Hollered Matthew over the sound of the crowd. The sandy-haired boy looked up at the purple-eyed teen, then back down at the Frenchman. He had gotten the wind knocked out of him, and was doubled over, hugging himself.

"What in the bloody hell were you doing?" Arthur asked, directing the question to Francis.

"We… we were just having a serious conversation, that's all…" The Brit's eyes narrowed.

"Liar! You were going to molest him, weren't you, you sick fuck? I heard something about a kiss!"

"Oh God, you heard that?" Said Matthew, shocked. Arthur turned around to face him, a questioning look on his face.

"What do you mean, Matt?" The Canadian sighed, and helped Francis up from the gravel.

"Francis, is it alright with you if I tell him?" The older teen nodded. Matthew turned to face Arthur once more. "We… Francis and I… we're… we are in love with each other." Arthur was silent for a moment, surprised by the confession.

"You… you're sure?" The pair nodded together fervently.

"I have known Francis ever since middle school. He has been my best friend for my entire time here, and I have known him almost as long as I've known Alfred. We have been… together like this ever since I was a freshman. Trust me Arthur; I know what I'm doing." Arthur smiled, somewhat understanding what the shy boy meant. He, of course, had never been in love, due to the awkwardness with girls, but he thought that if what Matt had explained wasn't love, then what _was _love? So, he apologized politely for the misunderstanding, and was tackled by Matthew in a big bear-hug. "Thank you so much, Arthur! You really are a good friend! I never thought I would be able to tell anyone…" Arthur raised a dark eyebrow at this comment.

"You mean you haven't even told Alfred?" The purple-eyed teen shook his head slowly, staring down at his feet in shame.

"I just… worry about what he might think, you know? I mean, he's on all of these sports teams, with a bunch of jock guys who probably hate… well, people like us… so I have no clue what he would do if he found out."

"I'm almost certain he couldn't care in the least. In fact, he might even be happy for you, you never know."

"E-exactly, Arthur! I don't know… I will try it at my own pace, but for now, will you just help me keep it from him?" Unwillingly, Arthur promised. Matthew lit up, thanking the Brit once more, and the three teens headed back to the stands.

They arrived just in time. The Eagan team was running out onto the field with the band playing the school's anthem, and the announcers listing the names of each of the players. As the ceremony was taking place, Arthur felt a nudge on his shoulder. He turned around to find Francis holding out the food he had wanted. Arthur smiled, thanked the older boy, and took a sip of his drink while continuing to watch as Alfred was introduced and the crowd's hollers seemed to resonate louder. He stopped for a moment though after tasting the fizzy drink, noticing it wasn't the kind he had wanted, but he shrugged it off, and continued to chug the beverage.

But by the time halftime had rolled around, Arthur could barely stand up. He felt dizzy, uncoordinated, and could feel his dinner slowly rising up his throat to greet him once more.

"Ugh, fuck, Matthew… I don't feel so good…" Mumbled the Brit as the second half began. The Canadian looked questioningly at his thick-browed friend questioningly for a moment, then widened his eyes in realization, and quickly turned to look at the Trio, who were all laughing at some random thing. The shy boy hurriedly nudged his boyfriend, unsure of what to do.

"Francis!" Matthew yelled over the sounds of the crowd.

"_Quoi?_" Answered the Frenchman with a smile.

"Arthur is…!" But when he looked back towards the drunken Brit, he found that he had already blacked out, and was leaning passed out on the shoulder of a questioning Tino.

Arthur had no idea where he was. It was completely black all around him, yet he could see his hands and feet perfectly. He could also vaguely hear '_I am the Walrus' _playing quietly the background… which was strange, since he didn't exactly know quite where the background was, anyway. He searched around, looking for some possible way to get out of wherever he was. And sure enough, he saw a bright light behind him, which seemed to be the source of the music, and, as he walked closer and closer to the whiteness, he could also hear murmured voices resonating from it as well.

_What the hell happened? _That sounded like Alfred… he certainly had the right idea, since Arthur also wanted to know what the hell could possibly be going on right now.

_Don't blame Francis, Alfie! It wasn't his fault! _Matthew too?

_It's my fault, es tut mir leid. I thought I had it, but I drink so much anyways, I didn't even notice that it was a normal one… _Wait, what? Arthur really wasn't getting this. But before he could hear anymore, the light began to dim, and the voices faded. The next thing Arthur knew, he was falling. And when he opened his eyes, he was staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Exclaimed a familiar American voice. Arthur winced at the loud noise, but acknowledged it and turned his head to find a pair of bright cerulean eyes staring right at him.

"Jesus Christ!" Exclaimed the Brit as he jolted up into a sitting position. Alfred laughed happily. "What the hell do you think you were doing, you git?"

"I was watching over you to make sure you didn't throw up and die." Arthur looked at the other teen like he was insane, which actually might not have been that far from the truth.

"Why would I throw up and die? Wait… how did I get here anyways? Last thing I remember… I was at the football game and you had just scored your second touchdown in the first quarter…" Alfred sighed.

"You got drunk." Arthur looked at him questioningly, but then realized he might have actually been telling the truth.

"Wait… so the drink that Francis gave me…" Alfred nodded.

"Spiked. According to the Trio, though, it wasn't meant for you. Gilbert had specifically told Francie to pour a bottle of Schnapps into it. But somehow it accidentally got into your hands, and well… you can probably infer the rest." Arthur suddenly felt a headache coming on, and plopped his head back down onto the pillow.

"God dammit… my parents are going to kill me." Alfred grinned.

"I beg to differ, actually."

"Huh?"

"I went over to tell them you were sleeping over, and I even got you some clothes and shit. Next time you see them, your breath will be liquor-free, and your hangover will be long gone!" Arthur mustered a small smile.

"Thanks Alfred… you're really not as dumb as you appear to be."

"Thanks! Wait… I don't know if that's a compliment or not…" Arthur chuckled.

"It is, Alfred, don't worry. Oh, by the way, what time is it?"

"2 o'clock in the morning." Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as he checked the clock next to the bed, just to make sure for himself. And surely enough, it read 2:04 am.

"You… were watching me this whole time?" The green-eyed boy asked.

"Well yeah!" Replied the American. "Wouldn't want you to die, now would we? But I gotta admit it was pretty boring. You didn't even talk in your sleep! You just sorta laid there."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I got tired after realizing how boring it was to watch you sleep. So I put on Star Wars!" Arthur looked towards the small television placed on the floor, and saw the movie paused on the screen. "Oh!" exclaimed Alfred. "I also got food! Food is good…" Arthur chuckled at the obvious comment. "And I got food for you too!" Arthur sat up again at this, and looked towards the tray of food on the floor that Alfred had gestured to.

"Oh, Alfred… how did you know?"


End file.
